Almost 5 yo foreskin help

[RMM1117]

My Ds has been fully retracatble for about 2 years. Today in the shower I asked him to pull back so we could rinse with water (we almost never do this, but he played a lot today and get very sweaty, and honestly I had remembered that we hadnt washed there in a looooong time (the outside has been washed plenty, just not underneath in a long time, so I made the suggestion.) He went to pull it back and couldnt. He wasnt even 'pulling' really and said it hurt. It seemed a little red and very tight. I didnt want to force anything or hurt him so I told him nevermind and when we got out I asked him if I could take a look at it and he said no way. Now I dont know what to do. He was fully retractable (trust me, he went through a phase of playing with it non-stop when he was 3 and we saw it many times ) so I dont know why all of a sudden its so tight and hurting him. He has not mentioned anything before this evening in the showe,. I dont want to take him to a Dr. because I know what that will lead to . Any input would be greatly appreciated! TIA!

[Quirky]

Have you been in the pool a lot this summer? Chlorine can be very irritating to the foreskin. Or has he been in sweaty/wet clothes a lot, which might be causing chafing?

Either way, I'd maybe put a little Unpetroleum Jelly, a healing herbal salve, or something else like that on it, give it a good airing out, stay away from the pool for a few days, and see what happens. As long as he can pee I'm sure he's fine.

[MCatLvrMom2A&X]

There is a link here http://www.mothering.com/discussions...d.php?t=764732 on the reasons why a retractable foreskin stops retracting. It is usually due to irritation.

[tutucrazy]

This is normal for some boys to be retractable then not retractable. Irritation can be the cause, but also it may be that he was really exerted at the time he showered. When my husband (intact) runs his foreskin gets very tight and closed and it is impossible to retract without pain. This is b/c the muscular bands that exist in the foreskin tighten up to draw the penis closer to the body (a protective function). By your post I am not entirely sure whether he was just running around a lot or whether he had time to relax before his shower.

Either way I would check for signs of yeast. Peeling, bumps, etc. This can happen if a boy has been swimming in highly chlorinated water with frequency. If no signs of yeast exist I would worry about it. There is no need to rinse underneath for now.

[eepster]

The foreskin has a sphincter at the end. It opens for peeing, then closes back up again. It is possible that in the past when he retracted, he only did it when the sphincter was relaxed, but today the sphincter was contracted.

[RMM1117]

Thanks for the replies. I have brought it up twice to him asking him if it hurts when he urinates and he says no, so I will just leave it be for now. I took a quick peek at it without moving anything or doing anything and the foreskin/tip seems fine, no redness, ect., so I guess its fine.

[ThreeTimesAMama]

You know, my son is now 9 and we don't worry about it at all (retracting, washing, etc). I was told, don't know if it is true, that when he hits puberty those hormones will allow retraction with no problems.

[MCatLvrMom2A&X]

That is usually what happens yes.